My Next Cake
by Princess Joyce
Summary: JD gets another cake. Dr. Cox gets stuck with helping him through it. JDCox slash


Title: My Next Cake

Rating: T for brief nudity

Disclaimer: I do not own JD, Dr. Cox, or anyone else associated with Scrubs

Summary: JD gets another cake. Dr. Cox gets stuck with helping him through it.

Warning: Character Death (Not a main character)

A/N: This is my first Scrubs fic, and also my first slash fic, ever. Please be gentle…

My Next Cake

Why is it that those really devastating, heart-wrenching, soul sucking events in life always surprise you? I mean, they never give you any warning. One moment everything is fine. You are truly satisfied with where you are in life, and then, bam! The floor drops out from under you.

Today had the potential of being one of those just truly amazing days. I felt like I actually made a difference in a few patients' lives, and they thanked me for it. That got me feeling so good I asked out 'new' gift shop girl, and she said yes! (She's really new so no one has had time to enlighten her of my reputation.)

Not even Dr. Cox could get me down.

"Say, Veronica, I heard you received a few 'thank-you's today, and I'm sure that's got your pretty little head all puffed up and floating in the clouds, but you do have other patients who need your help. I know, I know, it's got to be difficult to think about anything other than your upcoming date. Should you wear the blue dress or the pink one? Is this the one that will finally make you a woman? However, Mrs. Clark is still waiting for you to come read her chest x-ray, so what do you say you get back to work there, Princess."

I'm always amazed at how long he can go without stopping for breath. He could win a breath holding contesting.

"Don't listen to him Bambi, you should be proud of yourself. You did a good job," Carla told me, earning a glare from Dr. Cox.

But my attending knew better than to get into it with Nurse Espinosa, and so he just added a little extra 'umph' to his shoulder bump as he walked past me. Ouchie! That'll bruise.

After checking up on all of my other patients, who were not feeling neglected (take that Dr. Cox!), I ran into my best friend Turk, who was doing his celebratory dance in the hall outside of the OR.

"Chocolate Bear!" I called as I ran up to join him.

Ever since I had gotten my own place, it felt like we didn't get to see as much of each other. He told me about his perfect surgery, and I told him about my date, so we had to do the celebratory dance, again.

Yes, the whole day had been as close to perfect as I'd had in quite a while. Even the janitor had taken the day off. The only thing that could make it better would be for Dr. Cox to finally give me that hug I'd wanted from him since the day we met. No such luck.

Soon it was time to head home, and get ready for tonight. If I had had any inkling of what awaited me at my apartment… But that's the whole point isn't it? We never get a warning or inkling of any kind before fate kicks us in the groin.

It was waiting on my doorstep; an innocuous brown box with postage telling me that my mother had sent it. My first thought was "Goody, Mommy has sent me a present."

I scooped the thing up and tried to guess what was inside.

My blood ran cold at the first thing that popped into my head. No, no it couldn't be that… Could it?

I slowly went inside my apartment and sat it on the counter. An hour must have passed as I just stared at it, wanting to know if my suspicions were right and not wanting to know at the same time.

When I could put it off no longer, I opened it. My suspicions had been correct.

I walked over to the couch and sat down. My cell phone rang. It was new gift shop girl.

"No, I can't tonight. I got a cake," I said to her irritated questions of where I was. I hung up not bothering to explain what a cake meant.

It was tradition in my family that when someone died, the news was delivered along with a cake. My brother Dan had delivered the last cake, when my father died.

The fact that my mother had sent the cake and not Dan… I couldn't finish that thought.

I picked up my cell phone and called Turk.

"Hey man! How's the date going?" He asked, and I could picture the expectant smile on his face.

"I-I didn't go," I mumbled, staring at the menacing confection.

"What? You stood up new gift shop girl?" He demanded, incredulous.

"I got a cake," I said, and was unable to hold back a soft sob.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Damn. I got another surgery in fifteen minutes. Let me see if Carla can sit with you until I get off. You hang in there, JD!"

I hung up and lay down on the couch. I was cold so I curled up into a ball and shut my eyes.

I had left the door unlocked so it didn't surprise me when someone opened it twenty minutes later. Out of all of the people Turk could have sent, it was the one I least expected that turned up.

Opening my eyes I saw him standing in front of me wearing his bright read hockey jersey and holding a six-pack.

It was clear from the expression on his face that he did not expect to find me like this. When Dad had died a few months ago, Dr. Cox and Dan had helped me by saying what needed to be said while watching a football game and drinking beer. But that had been a week after Dad's death. Barely an hour had passed since I'd learned of Da-, I couldn't finish that thought.

I suddenly felt very vulnerable with him looking down at me like that.

After a minute he seemed to shake himself, then set the beer down and walked over to the cake.

I heard him pick up the note that Mom had sent, that I had been too chicken to read.

I heard him curse.

"Damn, JD. First your dad, now your brother?"

The tears started at this confirmation. They were silent though, so he had no idea that I was crying.

"Does it say how it happened?" I asked, my voice sounded faint and far away.

"You didn't read it?"

I didn't answer.

"It was a car accident. He was killed instantly."

I still didn't say anything, although in my head I envisioned Dan being rushed in to Sacred Heart all beat-up and bloody. I imagined myself and Dr. Cox, Elliot, Turk, and Carla all working to set him right. We did it, and everyone was happy. Dan would be fine…

The cushion next to my head sunk down as Dr. Cox sat on the couch. He turned the TV on, and the sound of a game filled the apartment. Was it football, baseball, basketball, or hockey? I don't remember.

Dr. Cox opened a beer and took a deep swallow. I hated this.

He didn't know what to say. At the moment I would have welcomed a nice long lecture as he called me a girl's name. That would be normal. The fact that he didn't, well, that just proved that things weren't normal. That Dan was really…

I wiped my face with the sleeves of my shirt, and with great effort, sat up. I wanted to be alone. No, I wanted to be with just about anyone but Dr. Cox. I wanted someone to hold me and tell me I wasn't alone, and that everything would be okay.

I pulled myself to my feet and stumbled to the bathroom. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn't look back.

Looking at the bathtub just reminded me of Dan and how he'd spent a good two to three days in the bathtub drinking beer after Dad died. But I was cold, so I turned on the hot water, and sat in the tub, still dressed.

I must have dozed off, cause the next thing I knew Dr. Cox was hauling me out of the scalding hot bath water looking angrier than I'd ever seen him. And that is saying something.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He demanded.

"I was cold," I managed to croak out.

He just sighed and started pulling my wet clothes off of me, examining the angry pink welts that were starting to form on my white skin. It's kind of funny how the pain didn't start until I saw them. But soon, I was blacking out from the intense burning that covered my arms and legs.

When I woke up, I got another fun surprise.

I was in my bed naked, under the covers. It was dark, but I could make out the figure of someone sitting in a chair close by. The someone was holding a little someone and making baby talk.

"Jordan?" Her name was more of a groan than anything else.

"Perry is gone to get you some medicine. Jack and I are here to make sure you don't try to off yourself again," she said, in her 'I'm bored and can't believe I have to speak with someone as unworthy as you voice'.

"I didn't-"

"I don't care," she interrupted, getting to her feet.

"Now, Jack and I are going to watch TV. If you need anything…wait 'till Perry gets back," she said and sauntered out of the room.

She stopped in the doorway and turned back to look at me.

"By the way. I'm sorry about your brother. I know how much that sucks."

And then she was gone, and I was drifting off again.

I awoke to Dr. Cox spreading freezing cold salve on my burns.

"C-cold," I muttered.

"Well, it's your own damn fault," he grumbled, flipping me over to get the backs of my legs and butt.

I guess it was the surreal-ness of the situation that managed to pull me out of the numbness I had sunken into. Suddenly, I was very aware of the fact that my mentor, Dr. Cox himself, was spreading cold salve on my naked ass.

When he was through, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and he pulled me to my feet.

Next he pulled a long-sleeved t-shirt over my head. It must have been his as it almost reached my knees. Then he helped me back into bed, and pulled the blanket around me.

"Better?" He asked.

I nodded then shook my head and started crying.

If the pain in my heart hadn't been so great, I might have laughed at the fearful expression on his face.

"What do I do? JD, what do you want me to do?" He asked, bewildered.

I shook my head, refusing to voice what I truly wanted from him although this would probably be the one time in my entire life that he would actually give it to me.

He looked around helplessly for a moment then finally asked, "If Carla or Ghandi were here, what would you want them to do?"

My mouth answered without my permission.

"I'd want them to hold me, and tell me everything will be alright."

It was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.

He left the room, and I could hear the soft rumble of his voice as he spoke to someone on the telephone, though I couldn't make out what he was saying.

I hoped he was getting Carla or Turk. Surely one of their shifts would be over by now.

After a few minutes he came back into my bedroom.

"Are they coming?" I asked.

Dr. Cox shut and locked the door behind him.

"No."

He turned the light out and the room plunged into darkness. I heard a rustle of clothing as I tried to comprehend what was happening.

"Dr. Cox?"

And suddenly he was crawling in bed with me. Dr. Cox, the manliest man I know, was actually 'spooning' against my back. His muscular arms wrapped around me, and his chin came to rest on my head.

"You mention this to anyone, and I'll kill you," he threatened.

I didn't say anything, just laid there stiffly in his arms. He sighed again.

"Everything will be alright, JD,"

At those words I relaxed and allowed myself to accept the comfort he was offering.

End


End file.
